Musée Cognacq-Jay

Set in a refined Marais mansion, this small museum gathers the 18th-century art collection assembled by the founders of the Samaritaine department store. Its intimate rooms display paintings, pastels, porcelain, furniture and precious objects from the Age of Enlightenment, evoking the elegance of aristocratic Parisian interiors. Works by Fragonard, Boucher, Chardin and Watteau hang alongside delicate cabinets and snuffboxes. The domestic scale and quiet courtyard make it a restful counterpoint to the city's grander institutions.